Nº 284 - APRIL 2018 - FREE COPY

TOURISM , key to the promotion of the Costa

The sector attracts more than half a million tourists to Andalucía every year [P2&3]

HISTORY 1979: the year Seve won his first major

This year sees the 40th anniversary of the legendary Spanish golfer’s win in the British Open [P4]

After coming second in Huelva in Berlin to Ciganda breaks Phoenix, Ciganda has become attract spring visitors the first female Spanish golfer This unique Andalusian into the top 10 to enter into this elite club [P14] province was present at the ITB Tourism Fair, promoting its breathtaking golf facilities [P6]

:: AFP 2 ANDALUCÍA April 2019 COSTA DEL GOLF

Golf continues to be a key sector for promoting the Costa del Sol Its ability to attract visitors all year round, with over half a million tourists coming to Andalucía every year, makes it especially interesting to the authorities

ALBERTO cultural and environmental as- GÓMEZ pects of tourism, and ways to achieve an even higher degree of satisfaction among clients,” says Bernal. Intelligent marketing and digi- olf continues to be cen- tal advances will also provide those tral to the way the Costa taking part with a more precise del Sol and the region of knowledge of the destination and G Andalucía are promoted the profile of the type of clients to tourists. The sector has the abil- the Costa del Sol aims to attract. ity to attract visitors all year round, Turismo Costa del Sol will be and in fact more than half a mil- making good use of these confer- lion golf tourists already come to ences as a tool to promote the des- the region every year, most of tination, and it will be allocating them outside the normal peak sea- more funds for targeting emerg- son for tourism, so it is hardly sur- ing markets and boosting air con- prising that the authorities are nections this year. In total, 11,000 keen to increase this sector even euros have been budgeted for seven further. projects of this type. Last week, the Costa del Sol Some of the conferences for pro- Tourist Board announced that it fessionals in the tourism industry will be organising around 20 day- have already taken place, and oth- long conferences for professionals ers planned for this year include in the tourism industry in Spain Beirut, Muscat, Kuwait Japan, Ko- and abroad this year, at an approxi- rea, Taiwan and the USA. These are mate cost of 249,000 euros. considered very important because These conferences, or work- they are a chance to attract tour- shops, will be part of a Tourism Ac- ists from more distant markets, es- tion Plan which the head of Tur- pecially Asia, America and the Mid- ismo Costa del Sol, Arturo Bernal, dle East. says aims to make the destination “The majority of these markets better known and improve its repu- are emerging and are in the expan- tation within and outside the coun- sion phase, so our strategy is to im- try. Commercial alliances will be prove the profitability of interna- formed with professionals in the tional tourism on the Costa del Sol tourism sector, and the idea is to in the near future,” says Bernal. provide made-to-measure prod- ucts to ensure that visitors will Investment want to return to the Costa del Sol The day-long conferences for pro- again and again. fessionals in the golf sector have The Action Plan started to be been allocated the second-highest put into effect last year, and this budget by Turismo Costa del Sol in year’s conferences will focus on 2019, at 75,000 euros. Some of “sustainability, economic, social, A photo of the Gecko Tour at Lauro Golf :: SUR these will coincide with the Costa

dalusian government, ex- and presents the award to the THE BEST PLACE IN pressed his gratitude for the re- one which offers the best expe- cognition from the principal ac- riences for clients based on EUROPE TO PLAY tors of the international client satisfaction, quality of the GOLF tourism industry: “It is an ho- courses and accommodation, pri- nour for us to receive such an ce-quality ratio, professional important award,” he said, conduct of the suppliers, support adding that the recognition of the local tourism industry and Last year the Costa del Sol was “reaffirms our leadership in the availability of golf courses. named Best European Golf Des- segment at a national and inter- The Costa del Sol has been “fo- tination by the International national level all through the cusing special attention to the Association of Golf Tour Opera- year, thanks to our 70 golf cour- golf segment for several years, tors (IAGTO) at the Golf Travel ses, which are nearly 70 per with a strategy to achieve opti- Market, which took place from cent of all those that exist in mum management of seasonal 15 to 18 October in Slovenia. Andalucía”. tourism,” said Bendodo, and he The then president of Turis- Every year IAGTO considers all stressed that with this award for mo Costa del Sol, Elías Bendodo, the golf destinations and resorts Best European Golf Destination who is now an adviser to the An- which have been nominated, “it has received a major boost”. Costa del Sol representatives, receiving the award. :: SUR April 2019 ANDALUCÍA 3 COSTA DEL GOLF M del Sol Woche in various towns in Germany in June and the Costa del Sol-Sol Cup Embajadores in Scot- land in September . During the year there will also be conferences, commercial mis- sions and activities aimed at con- sumers in Spain and Portugal, and Turismo Costa del Sol is allocating 36,000 euros for these. Two of the conferences organ- ised by Turismo Costa del Sol this year will be on the subjects of the elite sector and MICE (the Meet- ings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions sector) at a cost of 17,500 euros and 10,500 euros respectively. The Tourist Board will also be holding ‘Turespaña Inversa’ work- shops in Madrid and elsewhere throughout the year, and MICE An- Golf brings half a million visitors a year to Andalucía. :: SUR dalucía commercial conferences in Spanish and international locations Sweden, France, Holland, Spain, which have yet to be finalised. The golf sector is Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Fin- “All these aim to increase the important because it land, Austria, Norway, Italy, Swit- level of knowledge of the destina- attracts tourists all year zerland and the Czech Republic. tion, so the professionals from each The study shows that the Costa tourism sector have as much in- round and they spend del Golf is home to 67 per cent of formation as possible and can take more than other visitors all the golf courses in Andalucía: the most effective decisions to im- in other words more than two out prove the competitiveness of the of every three golf courses in the Costa del Sol. That will bring with region are in this area. More than it increased employment and Europe actively play golf, which half of the golf courses on the Costa wealth,” Bernal explains. means that about 7.4 million peo- del Sol-Costa del Golf are located The Costa del Sol is the jewel in ple practise this sport and, of those, in Marbella, Mijas and San Roque. the crown of Andalusian golf. 55 per cent are federated members. This type of traveller is so im- Europe is the greatest source mar- In terms of numbers of players, the portant to tourism because they ket for the so-called Costa del Golf, 15 principal markets alone have help to resolve the problem of sea- which extends from Vélez-Malaga 640,000 federated members, so sonal tourism (they tend to come to San Roque. An exclusive report this destination, with its 69 golf to the Costa del Sol outside the about this sector, produced by Tur- courses and 1,134 holes in 16 mu- peak summer months), and because ismo Costa del Sol, shows that one nicipalities, is of particular inter- they spend much more during their per cent of the population of Two-thirds of Andalucía’s golf courses are on the Costa del Sol. :: SUR est to golfers in England, Germany, stay than other types of visitors. 4 ANDALUCÍA April 2019 COSTA DEL GOLF

1979: the year that Ballesteros made history with his first British Open

The Cantabrian player, who became the father of Spanish golf, paved the way for his five ‘majors’ four decades ago with a series of stunning strokes

:: ALBERTO GÓMEZ THE ‘MAJORS’ WON t was a red letter day in the his- BY BALLESTEROS tory of Spanish golf. The year was 1979 and Seve Ballesteros 1979: British Open I had just won his first major tour- 1980: The Masters 1983: The Masters nament. He was 22 years old and had 1984: British Open come to the British Open, the most 1988: British Open famous tournament on the tour, from Pedreña, a small fishing village in Cantabria. There had already been a cause of the momentum on many oc- hint of his potential three years ear- casions, long after the ball had shot lier when he came joint second with off into the distance. Seve didn’t win Jack Nicklaus after a high quality game that week at the Royal Birkdale, but with some outstanding strokes from he left no doubt that a star was born every part of the Royal Birkdale golf and European golf would rival the course. However, for Ballasteros that USA for the first time in years. was already past history. He saw fur- Three years after his first victory ther opportunities for success and in the British Open he won again in made the most of them. Augusta and in 1984 he once again He raised his arms in triumph and lifted the coveted trophy at the birth- his three brothers, Manolo, Baldo- place of golf, St Andrews. Before, in mero and Vicente, who had been 1980, he had won the green jacket watching, couldn’t contain their emo- at the Augusta National, becoming tion. His parents, Mero and Carmen, the first European to achieve vic- celebrated at home, setting off fire- tory in the Masters since its inaugu- works and welcoming neighbours ral edition in 1934. In 1988 he who came to share their excitement. achieved his fifth major with the Many fans still remember the British Open at the Royal Lytham. stroke Ballasteros played when ap- At the age of 31, it seemed his talent proaching the green at the 16th hole. as a golfer had no boundaries. Also the image of American Hale Ir- That success, however, proved to win waving a white handkerchief be his last, something which nobody as a sign of surrender as he walked expected. His subsequent descent towards the 18th. This was one of Ballesteros, with five Grand Slam wins, made history and became the father of Spanish golf. :: SUR from the peak of golf, despite a brief the greatest highlights of Spanish resurgence in the early 1990s, was sport, comparable to Manolo San- He accumulated 87 titles, 50 of the most charismatic player in the shooting to the green, a trick he used tortuous and very public as he tana’s win at Wimbledon and Paco them on the European Tour, and gave world. The Spanish ‘Matador’ excited during his whole career. changed his trainer and caddie sev- Fernández Ochoa’s gold medal in continental golf the boost it so badly fans with his courageous style, magic Seve leapt onto the international eral times. He was still hitting the the 1972 Winter Olympics at Sap- needed in the late 1970s. Together touch on the green, creativity and scene, with practically no warning, ball prodigious distances, but he of- poro. Ballesteros forged his way to with British golfer Tony Jacklin he passion for his sport. in the British Open in 1976, as a raw ten ended up in problems because join the great golfers of the time, like was directly responsible for reviving He started playing when he was 19-year-old talent with an extraordi- his shots went astray and he lost the Nicklaus and Tom Watson, but this Europe’s luck in the Ryder Cup. Ball- seven years old, using a three iron on nary swing which seemed to turn par. He died at the age of 54, after bat- would not be his only success. The esteros became the father of Spanish the beach near his home in Santander. 360 degrees. That exuberant swing tling a malignant brain tumour for story was only beginning. golf and replaced Arnold Palmer as That helped him dominate the art of almost made him lose his balance be- two and a half years.

EXPO Costa del Sol holds its first golf tournament

The tournament, which focused Los Naranjos recently hosted the first on “connection from disconnec- edition of the Golf Networking Cup tion”, gave golf entrepreneurs, ex- ecutives and professionals a forum to share their thoughts and pro- jects for their companies, combin- XPO Costa del Sol, the by the EXPO Business Club. ing leisure, sport and emotion in largest real estate exhibi- The tournament took place at Los an entertaining and competitive tion centre on the Costa Naranjos golf club, where the course game of golf. yukyukyukyukñol. :: SUR E del Sol, held its first golf measures almost 6,500 metres, and The Golf Networking Cup was tournament, the Golf Networking boasts professional tees, wide lanes, organized by EXPO Costa del Sol, the collaboration of Picking Málaga, dia, Golf Circus and Solkysten. Cup, on 21 March as part of a se- strategically placed obstacles and along with its proud sponsors AUDI Oxén, Zeeclo and Viajes Nuba, as The Golf Networking Cup re- ries of corporate events sponsored lush, undulating greens. Safamotor and El Corte Inglés, and well as the support of leading me- turns on 20 June. April 2019 ANDALUCÍA 5 COSTA DEL GOLF M

6 ANDALUCÍA April 2019 COSTA DEL GOLF

Huelva promotes its golf facilities to attract tourists in the spring

maintained grass is such a special sen- This unique province in Andalucía was represented at the ITB sation that it can only be compared with the relaxing strolls barefoot Tourism Fair in Berlin last month as an all-year-round destination along the seemingly endless beaches of Huelva, which so many visitors enjoy. Many golf fans take a golf club with them so they can practise their ALEJANDRO stroke for getting out of the bunkers, DÍAZ as that is the trap most feared by play- ers. When the tide is out there is a huge expanse of compacted fine sand bordered only by the dunes and the sea, an extraordinary natural setting uelva is a unique desti- which is ideal for impromptu beach- nation, not just in An- golf tournaments. dalucía but in the whole The Corta Atalaya Golf Club, situ- H of Europe. It has many ated where the Sierra de Huelva be- extremely positive aspects, such gins, has fantastic views of the moun- as its climate, beaches and envi- tains and the area of the Riotinto ronmental conservation, but it Mines. It is a nine-hole course with does face one problem with regard three par threes, five par fours and to tourism, because most visitors one par five. Half of the course is quite choose to come to Huelva in the flat, but two of the fairways are re- summer months. However, thanks spectably hilly. to the efforts of some tourism seg- Meanwhile El Rompido Golf Club, ments, including golf, that is now the most recent to be inaugurated in starting to change and proof of this Huelva province, is just beside the is that nowadays hotels are start- beauty spot of Las Marismas del Río ing to reopen earlier in the year af- Piedra and the Flecha de El Rompido, ter their winter break. offering players fabulous views of the It was to raise awareness of Hu- Atlantic Ocean. elva as a year-round destination Situated in the municipality of that its tourism authorities at- Ayamonte, Costa Esuri Golf Club tended the ITB tourism fair in Ber- Huelva was the birthplace of golf in Andalucía. :: SUR H2O is located in a privileged set- lin last month. This is the most im- ting beside the Guadiana river, with portant event of its type for the a spectacular view of Portugal and German market, and Huelva The province was the river estuary, surrounded by wanted to promote its many at- marshes and natural lakes. There are tractions, including the country- represented at the Berlin excellent communications with side, culture and gastronomic Tourism Fair to promote its Seville and Faro airports, and it is routes, among others, because Ger- attractions to potential just two kilometres from the Seville- man visitors have always shown a Portugal motorway. keen interest in aspects such as foreign visitors Doñana Golf deserves a special history, culture and nature. mention. It is situated in Matalas- At the ITB, which together with cañas, beside the Doñana National the World Travel Market in Lon- Park and just metres from the Atlan- don is a key event for tourism portant source market for tourists tic. This is an 18-hole course which is every year, Andalucía had a 500m2 to Andalucía, representing 15.4 per easy to walk, and it has been beauti- stand with four areas for the pro- cent of all international visitors. fully integrated into the surround- vincial tourist boards, including Andalucía is also one of the prin- ing area. The first nine holes (the Huelva. Representatives held meet- cipal destinations in Spain for Ger- Doñana Round), as well as providing ings with tour operators and travel man visitors, after only the Balearic high quality golf, are a walk through agents from Germany and other Islands and the Canaries. incomparable natural surroundings. European countries to make new The second nine (the Atlántico agreements and attract new trav- Birthplace of golf Round), give players the opportunity ellers to an area which is renowned Huelva was the birthplace of golf to be really creative with their golf for its lovely weather. in the region. A great deal of time clubs. Also present were representa- Golf beside the Atlantic, a unique experience. :: SUR has passed since the British min- In addition, the 18 holes at the tives of the Almonte and Islantilla ers who were working at the Ri- Golf Novo Portil course open onto Tourist Offices and other busi- otinto Mines founded the Bel- a woodland of Mediterranean pines nesses from Huelva, including Is- lavista golf course in 1916, which at El Portil, a seaside town with a lantilla Golf Resort, Precise Resort was a pioneer in Spain. The possi- lovely climate. The course is gentle el Rompido and Puerto Antilla bility of playing golf at any time with plenty of native trees and Grand Hotel. During the fair, they of year and in a unique setting shrubs flanking the fairways of Ber- held approximately 35 meetings meant that golf in Huelva devel- muda grass at a prudent distance with professionals in the fields of oped at an extraordinary speed. from the game. tourism and golf and with special- A hundred years later, numer- The Isla Canela golf course is close ist media from Germany, Holland, ous golf courses now await visitors to Ayamonte, and beside the sea. It the UK, Poland and France. to Huelva and there is a wide va- is an easy course to walk, as the only Between January and Decem- riety, ranging from the mountain- slopes are due to the sand dunes and ber last year a total of 868,086 visi- ous Sierra de Huelva to the coast are not steep. The vegetation is pre- tors from Germany stayed in ho- with its links courses surrounded dominantly retama, but there are tels in Andalucía, amounting to by natural sand dunes, or amid pine also plenty of orange, olive and euca- 4,126,720 overnight stays. The av- trees which have an influence on lyptus trees, sometimes strategically erage length of stay was 4.75 days. the way each hole is played. placed on the fairways to compli- Germany was the second most im- Huelva has some of the best courses in the region. :: SUR Walking on hectares of carefully- cate the game. April 2019 ANDALUCÍA 7 COSTA DEL GOLF M

More than 120 players to Ciganda making steady progress compete in La Reserva de She became the event of the end of the year, Car- Sotogrande lota is in eighth place (in this clas- first female sification Azahara Muñoz is tenth), Spanish golfer to just 17 points away from sixth po- sition, which is held by Sung Hyun :: A. GÓMEZ reach the top 10 in Park. SOTOGRANDE. Some 120 fe- the world after male golfers from 27 countries Asian leadership across five continents will all come coming second in However, the oriental hegemony together for the La Reserva de So- Phoenix continues on the tour. Korea’s Jin togrande Invitational next month. Young Ko achieved her third LPGA This tournament, part of the title, winning the tournament with , will take 266 strokes in total, one less than place on the course of the same :: ALEJANDRO DÍAZ Ciganda. Asian players are doing ex- name from 16 to 19 May and MALAGA. Carlota Ciganda contin- tremely well: Sung Hyn Park, from could have implications for the ues to storm ahead in her career. Last Korea, continues to be number one, . month she finished second in the Ariya Jutanugarn, from Thailand, , who will Bank of Hope Founders Cup tourna- number two, Jin Young Ko, from Ko- captain the European team at ment in the USA, thanks to her 63 rea, fourth, from Ja- Gleneagles in September, will strokes in the final round. It was the pan seventh, and is eighth not only be looking to add to her best round of the whole tournament, in the ranking. list of honours in Sotogrande, but and helped to place her within the Jin Young Ko, who won her last ti- will also have her eyes on poten- world ‘top ten’ for the first time. tle in February 2018, the ISPS Handa tial teammates such as Marianne Ciganda is on a roll. A major could be just around the corner for Carlota Ciganda. :: AFP Australian Women’s Open, presented Skarpnord, or She was extremely focused as she a card with no errors and seven bird- Meghan MacLaren, all winners started the last day, scoring four bird- that she still lacks a major title, but been in the top ten, her lowest posi- ies on the last day, ending with 65 on the Tour in 2019. ies at the first seven holes, and, after if she continues like this that won’t tion being 33rd in the Evian Cham- strokes, seven below par, which Among the Spanish players two bogeys, another birdie at the 14th be long in coming. pionship. She took third place in the earned her the title. confirmed for the tournament to put paid to the rest of the par and Carlota totalled 228.27 points in a Honda LPGA Thailand and also two The player from Seoul, who is are Nuria Iturrios, Luna Sobrón, achieve a total of 63 strokes. These total of 51 tournaments and since the second places (Toto Japan Classic and 23 years old, won her first tourna- Noemí Jiménez, Carmen Alonso figures demonstrate that Ciganda is CP Women’s Open in August last year, Bank of Hope). ment of the LPGA tour in October and María Parra. Spain’s leading very strong, not only physically but she has never missed a cut; in fact, in With regard to the other classi- 2017 after giving an impressive women, Carlota Ciganda and Aza- also technically and mentally, and the 11 tournaments in which she has fication, the CME Globe, which is performance in the KEB-Hana hara Muñoz have confirmed, her game is in great shape. It’s true played since then, she has mainly a type of FedEx Cup and the great Bank Championship. however, that they will not be taking part. Points for the world ranking are up for grabs and the tourna- ment will be broadcast live na- Mixed fortunes for Spain’s tionally (on Movistar Golf, Tele- deporte and Andalucía TV) and stars in the ANA Inspiration internationally.

:: DARYL FINCH third place. MALAGA. Ciganda’s momentum Her fourth-place finish, shared carried into last weekend when she with South Korean In-Kyung Kim, came out in fourth place in the first won Ciganda 139,634 dollars in prize major of the year, the ANA Inspira- money, placing her fifth in the prize tion at Rancho Mirage. rankings. Published by Prensa The golfer from Navarre completed Her compatriot Azahara Muñoz, Malagueña, S.A. the four days at Mission Hills Coun- meanwhile, started well but quickly Director General try Club with a score of 283 (72-72- fell away, finishing joint 68th on José Luis Romero

Muñoz strikes the ball on the first day. :: KELVIN KUO-USA TODAY SPORTS 71, 68), finishing just one shot off seven over par. Andalucía Costa del Golf is a Diario SUR publication

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